Choosing a Dream of Love

This was written on the 50 year anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the day of Dr. King's "Dream" speech.

Martin Luther King’s dream was not just about harmony among various people. It was a dream of justice. A dream of equity. A dream of everyone having a job. A dream of an end to war.

King’s dream was a vision of love in action.

We still don’t have justice, equity, jobs, or an end to war. Racism, injustice, oppression, transphobia, torture, economic divide and misogyny all still dog our heels. Yet every moment, we have an opportunity to make a choice toward love.

I’ve had many conversations just this week about why standing firmly for love and justice is important for us all. I’ve said it many times before, and I will repeat myself again: racism isn’t just the ugly bigot spewing hate. Racism exists in systems of oppression. Racism exists in subtle encounters. Racism exists. Misogyny exists. Transphobia exists. Homophobia exists. Deep class inequity exists. Oppression exists. These things are in front of us all, daily. How often do we attempt to educate ourselves about these things? How often do we try to see something through a stranger’s eyes?

Are we willing to open the doors of our minds and hearts?

There are refugees, seeking asylum. There are families, weeping over death. There is a friend in need, and a stranger on the street in equal need. Can we open the doors of our minds and hearts? Can we envision a dream that includes love for all of this?

Can we feed one another, and offer refuge, even if only for the amount of time it takes to smile, or offer a kind word, or stand up for someone’s rights?

Justice is built, day by day, by each of our actions. Injustice is built the same way.

3 Responses to “Choosing a Dream of Love”

I see the children playing football in the street every day. They don’t care about colour or race, only who is sure of foot and fleet of limb enough to manoeuvre an old and tattered football through a goalpost made of old bricks. This is a happy and innocent truth, away from adult-inflicted views.
xx